Didn't sleep much last night. There were parties popping all over the neighbourhood. At least that's what it sounded like. Fireworks going off. Loud music. Happy screaming. Presumably, they were halloween parties though it's still 3 sleeps to the real day.
Some people on a nearby street were having such a good time, they wanted everyone else to know. Close to midnight, some man shouted at them, bravely telling them what we all thought but were too afraid to say, behind our closed windows tossing sleepless in bed. They all shouted back, ridiculing him. The herd, drunk on cheap alcopops, or maybe expensive champers, who knows. I thought someone would call the police but no one did, so the noise went on and on and on. More drunks wandered down our little street around 3 or so,
We don't do much halloween here though the marketing boys are trying their best to work kiddies and their mamas and papas into a frenzy, and it seems to be getting bigger every year. The scariest part of the whole season for me is how a cheap vege like pumpkin can suddenly cost 25 dollars. And how the lolly shelves at our local Woollies can start to look a lot like what I imagine a food store in Syria would look like these days.
On October 31st, you'll find us sitting very quietly in our dark house with the telly turned down, hoping that our front door will look too ominous for any sensible child to ring the doorbell. That's right. We've given up trying to give kids a head start on Type 2 diabetes. They only have themselves to blame too. Some years they would turn up all cute and scary, ready to extort candy from strangers. Other years, they would skip by us entirely. Fickle children! I might have an awfully sweet tooth for cream cakes, but I have none whatsoever for jelly beans, rocky road, gummy bears and snakes and having to consume a whole untouched bowl of them in the weeks after halloween is my personal idea of hell.
One year a very long time ago, Cushion felt so bad when some kiddies turned up and he had nothing ready, he gave them a can of beer. [Thankfully, 1 for the lot and not 1 each.] Obviously, his brain was on vacation that night. As mine will be for the rest of the day.
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23 comments:
Can you imagine a kid coming home with a can of beer instead of a bag of m&m's.
You make us laugh.
We don't get any kids come to our part of town so we just lock the gates a go to bed early.
Have a nice Weekend.
Bert and My VIckie
Your sentiments about Hallowe'en sound very similar to mine - it is my least favourite time of year. Three times this week, kids have lit firecrackers while I was walking Eddie (even though they are illegal here), and on the dreaded night, there will be kids with full pillowcases of candy still knocking at my door for more - it's sheer greed, it's unhealthy, and it's darned expensive too. And except for the wee ones whose parents dress them, half the kids don't even wear much in the way of a costume. We won't even talk about the nonstop firecrackers and fireworks that will bang and whiz around us all night.
I usually sit out in the carport and hand out those tiny chocolate bars to the first 30 or so kids - the littlest ones who come with their parents and live in the neighbourhood. Then I do like you do - turn off the lights, watch tv on low in the spare room (not visible from street) and hope that no one eggs the house or worse.
That's my man, Bert :0 What a great part of town you live in!
Jean - So far, SO FAR, the kids here don't take the "trick" bit that seriously.
I'm working on trick or treat night, until 8, which I believe is curfew time for the kiddies. Tonight apparently is college kid halloween at the bars, though the people I saw at least all had their clothing on. Previous years, this was not the case.
As a child I knew that 'Halloween' was something that happened in the USA, and never in my life has children ever came to my door trick or treating (wherever I've lived anyway) and I still don't understand what Halloween is all about. Has it always been celebrated in Australia and I've just lived a sheltered life?
I'm truly perplexed.
Hope you've had a nice rest today typist!
Around here, if you are participating in trick-or-treat, you turn your porch light on. If you're not, you leave it off. It goes from 5 to 7 pm and for some unexplained reason, both of those rules work. It amazes me because nothing else seem to work as well, but year after year, that's Halloween around here.
Jen - seriously? Surely there can be nothing more scary than nekkid college kids :p
Rose - I have no idea if it's always been celebrated here. I don't think so though. I know that in the 10 years we've been in Balmain, there's been more and more fuss with each passing year. This time round, Woollies went all out with the cotton spider webs, jack o lanterns and even dressed up their checkout people. One lady told me she was going to be the witch, warts and all. I see the purple and black balloons and spiders being hung up on the front porch just 3 doors away. And round the corner, I saw a big SPOOKY house on my way to training yesterday. It's happening dear Rose! The lolly companies and pumpkin farmers are laughing.
Lori - whoever thought that up was one clever bikkie.
The Cushion really makes us laugh. And wag. And so do you, the Typist! I'm sorry about your slurry sleepless night. Sounds awful. Halloween is not really celebrated in Switzerland, so we don't have any candy in the house. I must remind Grandpa to get some candy for the one or two goblins who might visit in Idaho. In Switzerland, carnival is celebrated in the spring -- that's much more like an extended version of Halloween.
My mom forgot to answer your question / comment about the US election process on my blog. Early voting is allowed. It's relatively new. It's to make it easier for those who cannot get to the polling day -- on voting day -- to vote. Early voting, though, is different from absentee voting, which is what my mom does from Switzerland. There are more oddities, though, about democracy in the US, such as the electoral college. Alas.
Thanks for a great post and for making me wag. If I came to the door, do you think the Cushion might give me a beer?
Love,
Tootsie
Dear Tootsie - carnival, I would love! Why can't we get sensible celebrations like that here? Yes, I'm sure Cushion would give you a beer (if you're over 2 and a 1/2 years old). Thanks for the explanation! I once saw something about the electoral college on telly which put me to sleep. It was too complicated for my little brain.
Nothing says All Hallows Eve like getting roaring drunk and annoying the neighbors, eh?
That "early voting" opportunity is not available in all fifty states. Not in my state, that is. I wish that it were: I expect the road between here and the polling place will be flooded out on Election Day.
We are definitely with you although sometimes we feel like the Grinches who stole Halloween. But in the last few years a once charming holiday for children has completely gotten out of hand. We are glad to read that it has happened in other places in the world.
Nobody ever comes and knocks on our door; we are too far off the street and the kiddies would have to walk through a small field. They couldn’t be bothered, it’s too much trouble for them.
I am very pleased, I don’t do Halloween.
The watch dogs do not appreciate Halloween! Duke will "woo woo woo" howl at all the trick or treaters, hopefully we won't get too many. We only get the chocolates that we like, not that I really need them. :)
Hope it quiets down there!
Gosh - all that hubbub - it's so quiet here. We never get Halloweeners. And we don't have any sidewalks so nobody ever poops on them. You should come visit.
I do not like Halloween, ugh. We get hundreds of kids, although every year there are fewer. This year with hurricane weather probably not so much. I try to buy candy I don't like...not tempted by whoppers, almond joy, or nerds. Think I'll eat anything else, lol!
LOL - I'd say those kids got a "trick" instead of a treat! Imagine what their parents thought. Quite possibly they took it from the kid and appreciated it themselves!
Pooping. on. the. sidewalk. Now, that's a horror movie for Halloween week!
-c at ddy.
I'm not big on the Halloween thing myself. I've never liked wearing a costume and I hate spending money on candy for other people's children. But I do have a lot of fun carving pumpkins and will probably put something together tonight. The neighbourhood children can consider it our trick, because they won't be getting any treats. ;-)
Beer for the kids? They so did not bring that home to their parents :D
I have to say I'm surprised at how many of you are not fans of All Hallows Eve LOL. I'm so happy I'm not the only sourpuss around. Yes, Karen, I think the kids got happy too. Probably still talking about it today, 20 years later :)
A can of beer? Now, that's my kind of trick-or-treating! =)
Now that was an out-loud hoot! We get very few spooky goblins but if it's the little ones in the neighborhood, I have something for them.
Lights go out at 8pm and no one better come!!
it is so strange to think of everyone being out drinking and partying and lighting off fireworks on Halloween. It's too damn cold to stay out for long most Halloween's. Thank God too. The fireworks season finally appears to be ending. Daisy can sleep in peace and so can I.
Poop on the sidewalk? Nevermind. I don't want to know. That is more than I can handle. Ick!
BTW - I hid inside my house with all the lights off and the TV on. No barking dogs and I got to go to bed early. :)
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